1. Technical Field
This invention relates to valves arranged in a pipe line or the like in which gas and sometimes liquid, such as water, is conveyed and wherein the valves operate to stop the flow of gas when liquid is present.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Prior devices of this type usually employ ball valves caged in a valve body through which the gas and entrained liquid is directed, the arrangement being such that collection of liquid floats a ball valve in a cage upwardly into sealing relation with an outlet port. Such prior art devices may be seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 386,173, 2,388,481, 2,671,527 and 2,867,231.
In the first three of the above patents, the ball valve elements are caged in vertically positioned cages of diameters slightly greater than the ball valves, the cages being positioned in relatively larger housings into which the gas and entrained liquid is directed.
In U.S. Pat. No. 386,173 the ball valve will float upwardly on such liquid and engage a horizontally disposed valve seat formed in a vertical outlet port defining structure.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,388,481, a similar arrangement floats the ball valve vertically into engagement with a horizontally disposed valve seat in a vertical passageway communicating with the outlet port of the device.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,671,527, a horizontally disposed valve seat receives the ball valve floated upwardly thereagainst by liquid in the device, the ball valve acting to close the valve seat in the vertical portion of the outlet and simultaneously move a plunger actuating an alarm.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,867,231, a pair of spherical members are connected to one another in spaced vertical relation by a cord or a cable with one of the spherical members resting on a platform below a vertically arranged valve seat communicating with an outlet port. Liquid in the housing floats the lower spherical member upwardly and thus permits the upper spherical element to move upwardly from the platform and theoretically into the vertically positioned valve seat thus blocking the outlet port.
The present invention, while utilizing a spherical valve element, provides an improved structure in that a very small amount of liquid will elevate the spherical valve element to a position where the cross flow of the gas will move it into seating relation in the vertically arranged valve seat.